US President Joe Biden is hosting a Hollywood-style event that will feature Democratic predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, but also several celebrities. The objective of this Thursday’s meeting, in New York, is to raise more than 25 million dollars (around 23 million euros) and renew voters’ interest in the electoral campaign of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, for the 2024 elections. .
Biden and the two former presidents will participate in a debate moderated by the presenter from the talk show The Late Show, Stephen Colbert, at Radio City Music Hall, in front of thousands of guests. Performances by Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele are scheduled.
Some of the participants who bought the most expensive tickets will have the opportunity to take photos with the three presidents, captured by famous photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Tickets for the event cost between 250 dollars and 500 thousand dollars (between 231 euros and 463 thousand euros) and more than 5000 participants are expected. The party will not be broadcast on television, but there will be no shortage of content on social media showing behind the scenes. Those who cannot afford an in-person ticket or are not in New York can also participate for 25 dollars (23 euros) in a virtual event with the three presidents.
Matilde Fieschi/Archive
81-year-old Joe Biden’s age and fitness for a second four-year term has been widely questioned. Recent Reuters/Ipsos polls show an approval rating of 40% and little distance from Republican candidate Donald Trump, who is 77 years old, at the time of the November 5 elections.
Biden has visited every key state since a fiery State of the Union address earlier this month, but has mostly spoken to much smaller crowds, part of a deliberate strategy to emphasize interactions with ordinary Americans. Vice President Kamala Harris also crossed the country.
The show of support from Obama, who is still extremely popular among Democrats, could boost enthusiasm among some young voters and other progressives who voted for Biden in 2020 but are furious about the White House’s staunch support for Israel in responding to the attacks. of Hamas, on October 7, 2023.
“The numbers don’t lie: Today’s event is a huge show of strength and a true reflection of the momentum to re-elect the Biden-Harris candidacy,” campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg said in a statement.
Biden’s reelection effort raised more than $53 million in February and $10 million in the 24 hours following his March 7 speech to Congress. In fact, the current President has regularly raised more than Trump.
Obama expressed concern to Biden about the possibility of Trump’s victory, before a change in the current President’s team, which sent two of the White House’s main advisors to the campaign based in Wilmington, Delaware.
The former President spent some time at the White House preparing a video highlighting the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Biden is campaigning hard on efforts to strengthen the law and accuses Republicans of wanting to end the program.
Trump took advantage of Biden’s event with Obama and Clinton to also appeal to his supporters. “The Obama-Clinton cartel thinks they will defeat us tomorrow, but I have something they will never have,” he declared at a fundraiser on Wednesday, referring to his supporters.
